London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Boeing’s Dreamliner nightmare could be nearing its end after a succesful test flight to check a new version of batteries on its 787 jet.

The US plane-maker redesigned the Dreamliner batteries after a series of incidents on some of the 50 jets in service, including fire and forced emergency landings. Safety officials had grounded the entire 787 fleet, but after Boeing sent one of Polish airline Lot’s Dreamliners for a two-hour test flight from the airfield at its Washington plant, the remodelled lithium-ion batteries —with improved insulation to prevent over-heating — passed the test.

Boeing is likely to carry out one more test flight before seeking clearance from the US Federal Aviation Administration to return the jet to commercial service. The grounding is costing Boeing up to $50 million (£38 million) a week and airlines will seek compensation.